UIC on way to NCAAs

Banks clinches OT victory with 4 seconds left

Illinois-chicago 76, Loyola 75

March 06, 2002|By Scott Merkin. Special to the Tribune.

CLEVELAND — When Cedrick Banks and Martell Bailey sat out last season at Illinois-Chicago as academic non-qualifiers, they went to as many Loyola home games as possible to support Martell's brother, David.

They hung out in the Ramblers' locker room, renewed old acquaintances with Loyola coach Larry Farmer, who had recruited them, and unofficially became a part of the Loyola basketball family. But with UIC trailing Loyola by a point Tuesday night in the Horizon League championship game at the Cleveland State Convocation Center and just four seconds remaining in overtime, Banks wasn't exactly reminiscing.

The sophomore took a perfect pass from Cory Little and hit a soft, 12-foot jump shot, giving the Flames a 76-75 victory over Loyola in an all-Chicago final.

The victory gave the Flames (20-13) an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and stung Loyola (17-13), destroying a herculean effort by David Bailey, who scored a game-high 35 points, and Ryan Blankson, who scored 15 points and tied a single-game conference tournament record with 16 rebounds.

It wasn't until Kevin Clancy missed a 40-foot heave at the buzzer that Banks and his teammates started to think about their fallen friends.

"I have a lot of respect for Coach Farmer, and I have a lot of friends on that team," said Banks, who finished with 17 points and seven rebounds to earn the tourney's most valuable player award. "But they are friends off the court. There are no friends when you are playing out there."

David Bailey, who joined Blankson and UIC's Jordan Kardos on the all-tournament team, finished 12-of-21 from the field. But it was his turnover with 13 seconds remaining that kept UIC alive and even made Banks' shot possible.

Double-teamed by Little and Banks, Bailey tried to throw the ball cross-court in his own end. Martell Bailey (9 points, 6 assists) stepped in front of the pass and quickly knocked down a driving shot to the hoop, giving UIC a 74-73 lead.

UIC appeared to get the ball back again when it was ruled David Bailey's ensuing inbounds pass slipped out of his hands and hit the backboard. But during the timeout, the officials reversed the call and ruled it went off of Martell.

Banks held Bailey as he tried to break to the ball to take the inbounds pass from Clancy and was whistled for the foul. Bailey calmly hit both free throws, giving Loyola a 75-74 lead with 13 seconds remaining, setting up Banks' heroics.

The Flames will gather Sunday and find out their first NCAA tournament assignment since 1998. Coach Jimmy Collins and his players didn't seem to care where they would go or whom they would draw. Collins was too busy complaining about the Gatorade drenching his suit received and proudly wearing the net they had cut down minutes before.

"When we got together for the first time on Oct. 13, these guys were already talking about making the NCAA tournament," Collins said with a laugh. "I had to calm them down because some hadn't even dribbled a basketball at the Division I level."

Farmer also praised UIC and the shot hit by Banks.

"What can I say? I love the kid," Farmer said of Banks. "I just wish he would have missed that shot."